Monday, October 20, 2008

Spoilers for tonight's "How I Met Your Mother" coming up just as soon as I work out a problem on my whiteboard...

Okay, now what?

We can strike Stella from the list of potential Mothers, along with Robin. And that's fine, I suppose. I really like Sarah Chalke, and thought she and Josh Radnor were terrific together way back when in "Ten Sessions," but ever since then, Stella's been a frustrating character. I have to assume that Thomas and Bays knew all along that she wouldn't be the Mother, but that she and Ted would be together for a while -- only they didn't know what to do with her between the get-together and the break-up. I know Sarah Chalke wasn't very available last year, but "Scrubs" wrapped production in August, and I think if we could have seen an episode or two where Stella was just Ted's girlfriend hanging out with the others in the middle of a non-relationship storyline, it would have been easier to buy into the idea of her as the woman of Future Ted's past. At the very least, it would have made me miss her more after she left.

But Ted and Stella spent most of their episodes together having various fights designed to warn us that they weren't right together, and so the point was... what? Just another red herring? Something to fill time for parts of two seasons? Or will Stella somehow play a role in the meeting of the actual Mother?

All of which brings me back to a fundamental question about "How I Met Your Mother" which is this: at this point, early in the fourth season, how much do any of us really care about who the Mother is and how Ted met her?

What we have here is a very funny show, one that can be really clever and creative and even romantic, one that features one sublime comic character (Barney), three very good ones (Marshall, Robin and Lily) and one who can be funny or extremely annoying depending on the week (Ted) -- and who happens to be our main character.

I don't think it's a coincidence that we all think of season two as the strongest to date. It was the only one where Ted was in a relationship -- with a woman we know he wouldn't marry -- for virtually all of it, and which therefore allowed the writers to focus on other, more interesting, much funnier things than the guessing game about the Mother's true identity.

And with Stella now mostly out of the way (I've heard vague things about Sarah Chalke being in at least one more episode, possibly to sort out the aftermath of Stella running out on the wedding), I'd like to see the search put off for a very long time. In fact, there's a part of me that wishes that the very final scene of the series is Ted bumping into a woman with a yellow umbrella, followed by Saget saying, "Oh, yeah kids, and that's how I met your mother," followed by the producer credit.

I don't want this to sound like a screed. Still love the show, and in fact liked a lot of things about this episode (most of which I'll get to in the bullet points). But they've been doing this a while now and it should be pretty clear that the hunt for the mom is sill getting so much prominence only because it's in the title. I didn't feel bad when Stella ran off with her baby daddy, nor did I feel relieved, or any other strong emotion. My only thought was, "Okay, so how many more times do we have to go through this before the real mom shows up?"

Now, for some specific thoughts on "Shelter Island":

• The episode itself didn't try to hide how it was going to end. And in case all of Future Ted's narrative hints weren't enough, we got that funny alternate future of some blonde children and Stella (whose dark roots were showing way too much given the joke) urging Future Ted to shut up already.

• I'm not sure what the point of putting Jason Jones into a karate gi was other than as a sight gag, but Jason Jones in a gi was, in fact, funny.

• My wife took Robin's speech to Ted as a sign that the show would return to Robin pursuing Ted, but I don't think so. For one thing, there's still the large matter of Barney's crush on Robin to deal with. For another, the speech didn't play to me as "Don't get married because I'm still in love with you." I think Robin and Ted still are in love with each other on some level. They didn't break up because of that; they broke up because they realized they wanted different things, and that's not going to change. Robin was just saying that, given her feelings for him, it stunk for her to have to be there -- and, given how well she knew Ted, she suspected this wasn't the right match for him.

• I like that both Barney and Lily were right about Barney's plan: he knew that getting Robin drunk at the wedding would get her in bed with him, and Lily knew that Barney would screw it up by not being able to resist temptation. I did like the added wrinkle that the naked woman tied to Barney's bed wasn't Stella's sister -- and that sis didn't object when she arrived.

• The song playing whenever we see characters driving to or from Shelter Island is "Monday" by Mikey and the Gypsys, and I have not been able to get the damn thing out of my head for days now.

• It's too bad Sarah Chalke wasn't available for last week's Super-Canadian moment from Robin. Judging by the way Stella said she didn't feel comfortable "aboot" Robin coming to the wedding, I think Stella and Robin could've had quite the Canuck throwdown.

63 comments:

Anonymous
said...

this whole show is about Robin and Ted getting together. I don't understand why so many people are rooting for the Barney-Robin pairing. They don't go together at all. The only time this show has any emotional impact is when Robin and Ted are dealing with their relationship.

Robin not keeping her job in Japan showed that maybe she didn't want to be such a globetrotter after all, and maybe she'd want what Ted wants. Then again she's referred to as "Aunt Robin". Not much wiggle room there.

What's the song at the very end? I wouldn't mind having that one stuck in my head.

Except for the Barney bits, the show felt meh. It's not remotely plausible that they wouldn't have discussed the ex issue before actually getting married, especially since Robin had been hanging out with the group when Stella first met them. Robin was more than just an ex, but clearly a friend to the whole group. And, if Robin did feel so uncomfortable going, then why didn't she just say she couldn't make it. This was pure sitcom setup.

I think a break from the search for the mother would be nice too. Realistically, Ted would need time to recover from the break up anyway.

Even though this episode owed a lot to Ross, Rachel and Emily, I did like the way it resolved itself.

I've been rewatching season 3 now that it's out on DVD and just got past the St. Patty's Day party and the first few eps of Stella, and it definitely hinted that even though Stella was probably at the same party she wasn't the mother.

Alan, I like your idea that the series should end with the identity of the mother just in the very end. Cuz it feels like it's been going on too long for the mother to turn out to be some "friend" we haven't met yet, and it would seem very obvious in season 6 or something if suddenly Ted starts in a serious relationship but doesn't say upfront that's the mother. They've painted themselves a bit into a corner.

That said, I'm glad it's not Stella. Chalke did a great job, but the characters weren't right.

Robin not keeping her job in Japan showed that maybe she didn't want to be such a globetrotter after all, and maybe she'd want what Ted wants.Or the producers just wanted to prove what masters of continuity they are by making good on future-Ted's statement in the season two finale that "Robin even lived in Japan for a little bit" (or something to that effect).

But I loved the callback to Marshall's skill at "Zitch Dog" from "Arrivederci Fiero."

I was kind of ehhh on it as well. The whole "left at the alter" thing has been played out in so many sitcoms that I knew as soon as I read the episode description that Ted and Stella would break up in this episode.

I *did* really like the idea of Ted as The Other Guy in Stella and Tony's love story, though -- I thought that was a clever way to spin the show's central conceit and remind us that everyone else has their own stories too. I could have done without the montage of Tony and Stella talking about each other at the end (come on, show -- we already got it, they weren't over each other!) but otherwise, that moment saved a really cliched storyline for me.

Barney and the whiteboard was hilarious. Pure HIMYM. And did anyone else notice the crazy/hot scale in there?

The episode itself didn't try to hide how it was going to end. And in case all of Future Ted's narrative hints weren't enough, we got that funny alternate future of some blonde children and Stella (whose dark roots were showing way too much given the joke) urging Future Ted to shut up already.

Honestly, I don't know why anyone thought Stella was the mother. The kids would have known Future Ted was talking about their Mom. Furthermore, the show is How I MET Your Mother, not How I Met Then Married and Stayed With Your Mother.Because of that, I hope the show ends the way Alan proposes.

Honestly, I don't know why anyone thought Stella was the mother. The kids would have known Future Ted was talking about their Mom.

For the kids, the show's not a mystery. No matter who the mother is, they're going to know instantly. Trying to guess based on their reaction -- or lack thereof -- is a fool's errand. They haven't shot any new footage of those kids in several years. While they apparently do have some footage of them explicitly reacting to something in the story of the actual Mother, I can imagine a circumstance where it doesn't come until the wedding, or after, and the son or daughter says something like, "God, dad, why did you take so long to tell us that So-and-So is our mom? We know that already!"

I already know how badly most screenwriters spell, but how come nobody in Hollywood can tell time? If the gang is sitting in the bar in the evening and Ted is talking to Robin on the phone in Tokyo, she shouldn't be starting her newscast with "Good evening." (What was that Sean Connery movie where it was midnight simultaneously in Malaysia and New York?)

I love Barney tackling the Robin dilemma via a whiteboard. Anyone else noticed how he crossed out 'JUST BE MYSELF?'? Oh, show, how I love you for these little things. And how great is it that Barney remains Barney, despite his love for Robin?

Robin confronting Ted about their relationship didn't come to me as a big surprise given the major disappointment that was Tokyo. Travel and novelty are some of the big reasons Robin decides to end it with Ted. Now she's doubting it that was the right thing to do, seeing how Tokyo did not work out, and how happy her ex is now.

I really found myself relieved at the end of the Ted/Stella relationship. As I think I said last week, I have just never bought it. And in that sense, I think it was a good storyline. It does happen sometimes -- the relationship that seems right, seems close, seems logically like a good idea, but just...isn't. And that's what this was, to me. On paper, very good. Some good dates. But it just never...flew. Not for me, anyway.

One of my favorite things about couples in TV and movies is how hard these things are to quantify -- why I didn't like that romance when I like Ted and I like Stella and I like both actors, or why I completely buy Lily and Marshall even though their relationship doesn't entirely make paper sense to me. Or why I like Robin and Barney together, even though that's completely illogical. I like that unpredictability. Things work or they don't, and to me, Ted and Stella didn't ever quiiiiite work, so I'm happy to have it over, even though I wasn't bothered by the tale being told.

I think Stella may have been little more than show cancellation insurance, and once they knew they were coming back, the show did their best to make hers and Ted's story interesting until they could wrap it up.

That's why last season she felt more important than she ended up being. If the show had a greater expectation to come back, they maybe never start up the hunt for the mother storyline last season.

Yes, which is why the show would need to end when he meets her. Otherwise, there's no point to him going on. If Stella had been the mom, it would have been the end of the story. If Stella were the mom and it hadn't ended, it would have undermined the premise in a way I think the creators wouldn't do. If Stella were the one but the story were continuing, it would have been unfair to the audience to have them listening to him all this time without there some acknowledgment of "aha! that's how you met her!"

I really enjoyed this episode! They didn't drag the Ted/Stella thing out too long and I was happy to see Stella get what she wanted. I had pretty much assumed Ted would ruin the wedding and I'm glad he didn't.

And as someone who got married last month, I loved the montage of Lily's breakdowns over completely ridiculous things. So true.

Alan! You're usually so good about spoilers! This time you put one right in the title, so those of us who follow you from the west coast already knew that Stella was out of the picture. :-( I'm always good about not reading your posts until after the show, but the title shows up in my RSS reader right when you post.

While I appreciate the cleverness of the title, could you *please* keep spoilers out of the post titles from now on?

"It's not remotely plausible that they wouldn't have discussed the ex issue before actually getting married"

It's also not plausible that Ted and Stella would never have a discussion about where they were going to live. Really, the whole Ted-Stella relationship was a cautionary tale made slightly horrific by both Ted's and Stella's apparently complete disregard for Stella's daughter. Getting married THAT quickly to someone you've only known for a few months is bad enough, but to do it on less than a week's notice? (And where was the daughter on the ferry at the end, anyway?)

I will miss Sarah (at least till Scrubs returns and then after it leaves) but I didn't see a lot of difference between Stella and Elliot.

Also there was a little thing. (aside from Lily's breakdowns) What was it?

oh. Lily's many blousy tops. They were very pretty (wish I could find some like them) Is that style in, or is it still only "in" in maternity wear?

(Tonight I saw you reviews both this and Chuck, so I went by the number of comments to choose. I'm behind from catching the brother up on Grey's and one ep of Chuck and the opening of Life on Mars, which he guessed before he saw it)

I'm with Alan. Who cares about the mother? They really can't show her before the last episode. Period. Can't do it, ruins their premise, such as it is. So, yeah, I can't get worked up about liking or not liking Ted with anybody. (Assuming you like Ted. Who is fair to middling.) We're here for the middle of the tale. Whatever, Ted's Girl of the Week.

I think they handled Barney's crush very well in this episode while he still got to be Barney. Kudos there.

I definitely agree that Ted can be annoying. I'd say 99% of the time. At least Ross was likable for the first few seasons of "Friends" before becoming a big weenie.

I very much liked the Barney writing on the board stuff and his solution. And as usual, there were some good jokes (the Spin Doctors one especially, although it feels like it was written by a group of writers that's a bit older than our gang.)

That said, when they push the Robin/Ted stuff the show really shows its biggest flaw (well, 2nd biggest. Ted being a complete bore is its biggest.) In the pilot they made it clear Robin abd Ted would never get together so any "will they or won't they?" tension has been sucked right out from their scenes together. Leaving me to know that as a viewer the writers are just trying to fool me when they have them get closer. And I don't like it when they try to pull a fast one ("shmuck bait" being the comedy writers term for it.)

Oh, and Robin moving to Japan? Also, clearly shmuck bait as she's a series regular and we knew she'd be back at some point (I was hoping for a few more adventures of her there. Maybe we could have met the Japanese Barney?)

Man, u hit it on the head. Season 2 was definately the best and it was because of the premise you set out. The show didn't worry so much about trying to play to the title of the show and did what it does best - it entertains. Keep up the good writing. This was a meh episode and like u, I'm glad the whole Stella storyline is over.

Hopefully this is where the season starts getting back on track and starts entertaining again. It's been way too gimmicky (episode on burgers) and devoting too much time on a relationship a lot of us didn't care for from the beginning. I just wasn't really too invested in Stella's character. I knew it wasn't going to work out and I'm team Robin all the way.

Like you said about Season 2 Alan, the less this show worries about the whole relationship thingy with Ted, the better off it is. Any coincidence Barney is the most entertaining character on the show? Yes, Ted's character has more depth, and it's nice to see Ted's romantic/spontaneous side every now and again (not too much now), but too much of that stuff becomes too much of a drag.

"how much do any of us really care about who the Mother is and how Ted met her? "

Not me. I would prefer the show go on for a few more seasons. In the final season, give us a misdirect as to who the Mother and have her break Ted's heart in the closing minutes of the final episode.

Have a heart broken Ted leave where ever he is turn a corner and rush-walk-knockdown some girl. Have her be a recognizable actress of about the same age of Ted.

Cut to Voice Over: "And that's how I met you mother". End with an extended montage of still photos, video clips of Ted, all the other characters and the "mother" over the next few years along with the final credits.

Anyone else think it strange how disappointed Future Ted is in this episode. He tells the kids the moral of the story is to never invite an ex to your wedding. He says he should have gone and talked to the ex-husband when Stella asked him to and then imagines a future if he had. Um, isn't the moral of this story, thank God I didn't marry her or I would never have met your mother?

the question is: does meeting the mother have to signal the end of the show? we'll have 3-5 years invested in these characters and their "lives;" i would think the show could sustain a post-meeting season (or more) to sort everything/one out and put them on their eventual paths, no? i can easily see a "and that, kids, is how i met your mother... but that's only part of the story" type season finale. who's with me? let's goooooooooooo..... (jogs out of room)

also, alan - have you ever asked the guys about setting a LOST-like end date? seeing how much its revitalized that show (and knowing they just signed a pretty large syndication deal), i would've thought that would have happened by now.

Personally I was very dissapointed in this episode - the whole ending just gave me a big ol' "so what" feeling and it actually made me feel like the last few episodes with Sara were a waste of time.

Not to give you more to do Alan but maybe you should start writing about the lead-in instead of HIMYM. Big Bang is maybe not as clever but it's been a hell of a lot funnier this year. (you used to write about it didn't you?)

My guess on why they occasionally focus (even over-focus) on who the mother is: It gets them press. I know I've been guilty of it. I think the reason they did it this season, especially at the start of the season, is to build on the Britney heat they got end of last season.

Practically speaking, they want their show to continue and getting a lot of media attention for "who is the mother? Is Sarah Chalke's character the mother?" etc etc helps them out in the long run, if all that press helps boost their ratings.

That said, if they pretty much ignore that for the rest of this season, I'm totally fine with that. Robarney is way more entertaining to me.

Agreed that they needed at least a couple episodes where Ted and Stella were just "there," and there wasn't a ton of talk about whether they should be together or not. THe fact that there were so many eps that focused on the fact that Ted's friends think they're wrong for each other took all the life out of what could have been, for a few eps, a nice continuation of the "10 Sessions" vibe. I guess my one regret is that they didn't capitalize as well as they could have on Sarah's obvious skillz.

Beebo: All residents of the planet Bismoll have the ability to consume all forms of matter. Ergo, there's no problem with any Bismollian kissing his or her mother (or any other Bismollian), since we all have super-strong jaws and acidic saliva.

Anonymous@7:52: Ted got dumped, via a note, on his wedding day. Stella may have been a psycho hose-beast, but I imagine that sorta thing leaves a mark.

I think the show can definitely continue if we found out who the Mother was. Like Alan said, season 2 was the best because the writers weren't focused on the pursuit of the mother and just stuck to the funny. That would be the case if the mother identity issue was resolved.

To piggy-back on to the other remarks along these lines, the reason it is believable that they would have never discussed exes at the wedding is that Ted and Stella have been a cautionary tale about rushing things and not really talking from the beginning. Hello--she let him make her dinner without telling him about her SEVERE allergies (as someone with severe allergies and an Epipen, as I mentioned in previous posts, this would never, ever happen). They didn't discuss where they were going to live. She committed them to a short-notice wedding without actually discussing it with him first. They both just assumed, assumed, assumed. All along they assumed. They assumed that because they had chemistry that they were on the same page on everything else. This is heightened in a sit-commy way here, but try and tell me that you or someone you know hasn't had a relationship like this at some point? Usually the parties involved are, like, 18 and DON'T HAVE KIDS, but it happens all the time.

Who was that girl from early on who really hit it off with Ted and then left for some international cooking school? Am I wrong in thinking that Future Ted never ruled her out as the mom? I keep waiting for her to come back from Paris or wherever she is.

But yeah, I'm tired of waiting. The premise can't sustain so many seasons, and would have been better with a set number of episodes/seasons (like the Brit Office or Extras). Except that at least Barney and Marshall would have to get a spin-off.

And Alan, let me just say thanks for introducing me to HIMYM, and having a lot to do with my wife and I watching Freaks & Geeks and The Wire. You are a trusted friend...of sorts.

Did anyone else notice a glaring continuity error/retcon: When Stella first discussed Lucy's father, she said it was a one-night stand whom she never saw again. This was why she took so long to sleep with Ted.

Because of this, I spent the latter part of Season 3 and the entire hiatus convinced that Barney would turn out to be Lucy's father.

Obviously that didn't turn out to be the case. But now suddenly her father is someone Stella dated for years, and still is a part of her and Lucy's life? When was that change made?

I am frustrated by those who say they are "tired of waiting" to find out who the mother is. Can't they just sit back and enjoy the story of these funny characters and the lives they were leading in Ted's single days? Who the mother actually turns out to be should be irrelevant, IMHO.

I think purpleslog got it just right; I actually kinda feel spoiled for the last moment of the last episode now!

@boffo... while it is somewhat implied that Lucy was the result of a one night stand for Stella (she says something like "my last 2 minute date gave me a daughter"), it was never explicitly stated. So, while that made for fun speculation, it is plausible that Tony was involved from the beginning.

On Lily's wedding anxieties--in the episode where Lily and Marshall get married, wasn't there something mentioned about how Lily always took everything very calmly about her wedding and didn't get upset easily?

and I think I just figured out the answer to that. the people on my c-leapers list. I've only met two of them (wait - maybe three, no - make that four: Freda, Eleiece, Marcia, and um... rats!oh, Christina!) but we've been on the list together since 1995.

Final word on the time difference - at present, 8 PM NYC time is 9 AM Tokyo time. Japan doesn't follow daylight savings, so after the 'fall-back' 8PM NY time will be 10 AM Tokyo time.

Actually I felt frustrated by the Robin storyline. Too much 'crazy Japan!!!' stereotyping beyond the fact that they totally changed her supposed job from foreign correspondent to co-anchor. Japanese news telecasts could have been actually copied humorously...NHK (the 'evening news' type broadcasts in Japan) is very rigid, polite, and humorless and could have been mocked for that. Morning newscasts are panel-based and they could have played that for humor by giving Robin a translator that kept mistranslating her comments. Also they could have kept the ridiculous news pieces without making a total mockery and unrealistic situation with the chimp. (they could have done real new stories too -- like there is a cat who is station master in Wakayama prefecture)

I wonder if the writers did any research at all about it...or if they just riffed off their assumptions.

I still don't understand why people don't remember that at the beginning of the third season, Future Ted tells his kids that they already know the story about how he met their mother and the yellow umbrella.

You heard right... All this talk of Ted saying, "And that kids is how I met your mother" will be when we meet the mother are incorrect.

Actually I felt frustrated by the Robin storyline. Too much 'crazy Japan!!!' stereotyping [...] I wonder if the writers did any research at all about it...or if they just riffed off their assumptions.

Couldn't you explain it by saying that the "crazy Japan" scenes were actually Future Ted's misrepresentation or misconception of what Robin's job was like over there. He probably never saw any of her shows, so he probably imagines the show based on the Japanese shows he has seen and perhaps a misremembering of things she told him 20 years earlier about her time (perhaps she did a news article about an ape at the zoo that threw things at her, 20 years later the story has changed in his mind to being an ape as a co-host).

But Future Ted says they know the short version. They don't know the more involved version. So I don't understand why there would be no "...is how I met your mother" moment. The logic isn't adding up for me.

anonymous - thanks for the news about Aly (which I am going to look up in a minute.).I'm sure that Lily could have drunk brown water or something, but if they plan to have *Lily* also be pregnant, (and i can't see a reason not to)then that would make sense. I just noticed that her tops were blousey. (a style which I have always liked - my mother said I would get tired of it when I was pregnant, but since I never got pregnant, i continue to like the style)

I especially liked the green one, excep for the "stuff" down the front of it.(and apparently the "new login function" was some weird thing my nokia was doing, cause her eon my laptop, nothing has changed)